Long time no post

Hey all, it's been a while eh? (I mean, when hasn't it?)

Long story short, school sucks and I miss knitting.

First day after term ended I cast on a hat for a special project, and cast off the next day. Still have to wash it, but gosh was that a quick, rewarding little knit.

Pattern is Windschief, yarn is Sweetgeorgia Trinity Worsted, which is just about the nicest worsted weight yarn I can think of.

Kind of a crummy photo - I think my camera is on it's last legs. Anyway, more to follow, I'm thinking I will walk through a fun little design project that I've got planned out.

Never not custom. Or, I always know best.

I've got a nasty habit.

I can't for the life of me follow a pattern without making *some* kind of changes. Sometimes it's just one or two minor shifts; adjusting for size, colour change, tweaking a motif, you know.

Interestingly, I also find that I will almost without fail, re-chart the patterns I work from. If there's no chart, you can be sure I'll sit down and chart out the pattern. Often if there is a chart, I will copy it down into my chart notebook, which has a nicely sized grid that makes it much easier to read the chart from a distance, as I find they can be quite small and tough on the eyes as printed. Sure I could just scan or copy the page and then enlarge it, but that doesn't solve all my problems.



You see, I know better than anyone else. Not about *everything*, no. But when it comes to my knitting? Yeah, I know best. Particularly when it comes to charted patterns (lace, especially particularly), I have a certain set of chart symbols to which I adhere nigh-religiously. They make sense to me. I have found that they make sense to most other knitters as well, and they are by and large quite close to the "standard" symbol sets used by most designers.

I really find it quite a time-saver to take a few minutes and re-chart the charts. I don't waste time thinking "oh, what does *this* symbol mean in this pattern again?" I can glance at my larger than average charts, quickly find my place, and knit on without having to waste any time or thought on interpreting the pattern. Occasionally I will forgo this, if the charts are quite minimal, or nicely printed, or happen to use my preferred symbols.



In this particular pattern... I need not name names, the choice in symbols is somewhat baffling. This particular chart is also quite large, so I ended up drafting it in Excel, and printing it on a larger sheet of paper, so as to avoid cutting and pasting, or breaking it up across multiple lines.

Speaking of this pattern, I'm down to the final chart (and yes, I've modified it... more beads!).
16 rows to go.
Currently 800 sts/row, and growing rapidly.

Hate to break it to you, but the full finished photoset for this one probably won't go live until next September, as it's a very, very, very, extremely special project.

The re-roll...

I wasn't totally pleased with my finishing work the first time around, so I decided to reblock this project. This is also further proof that my blocking wires are one of the best investments I've ever made (with regards to me knitting). If you often need to block straight lines, or any lace, they are invaluable, they will save you time and frustration, and bring your finishing to a higher, professional level.



 Now, these are the clean, crisp lines I had in mind!





Every angle has some great new texture and lines to get lost in.



I can't wait to be able to share this project with you all, I know you're going to love it.

Small details

Ends woven in, blocking done in record time (should maybe have taken more time in fact to avoid scalloping, oops...)



Coming along nicely, I think.

No work, no play

It's all fun and games until someone has to weave in all the ends...



On a completely unrelated note, I love Habu, but man their quality control sucks.

What's in your bug out bag?

We all have our essential knitting items, our favourite notions. I keep some reliable workhorse items close to hand in my main knitting bag at all times, and I usually only take notions with me if I know I will need them.

But you say, what about going on vacation, or if you're not entirely sure what you will need while you're out teaching, or just for emergencies (yes, we all know that knitting emergencies are real). Well, for those situations, I have my bug out bag. This bag has pretty much everything I need notions-wise to cover almost anything that I might need to deal with. This bag remains fully stocked at all times, and always stays in one place in my home, so that it can be ready at a moment's notice. People often ask what essential tools they need to get when starting out, and this makes for a pretty good list for that as well.

Let me show you what's in my bag.



The bag: I have starting using this Long Pouch from Splityarn, and I love it. It really is the perfect size for my essentials, but she offers several other sizes (I also use her Box Bags to hold projects).



Clockwise-ish, from top left:
Notebook
Darning needles (two sizes) and case
Thread snips
Business cards
Stitch markers (two kinds) and case
Needle gauge/ruler
Bag
Crochet hook
Double pointed needle
Pencil
Stitch holder



Top to bottom:

Notebook: I like this little softcover moleskine. It's grid-ruled, which I prefer, and while on the small size, it fits well in the bag and it still great for taking notes (I prefer larger pads for proper pattern design).

Darning needles: Nothing special, just a large and a small blunt darning needle. You could include a pointed one, but I find my need for them is minimal. The case was custom made for me by a friend, but there are plenty of alternatives.

Stitch holder: Vintage-style stitch holder, not strictly necessary as some light/mid weight mercerized cotton works just as well. (note to self: add in some mercerized cotton)

Pencil: I like mechanical pencils, but your mileage may vary. I do recommend a pencil over a pen as it probably won't burst and leak ink everywhere.

Double pointed needle: I don't work with DPNs, but I always keep a small (2-3.5 mm) DPN handy for picking up dropped stitches, miscellaneous repairs and as a general poking device. I think this one is rosewood, and was part of a set that a customer returned because they managed to break one of the five needles.

Crochet hook: This is a smallish rosewood crochet hook, but really anything will work. I'd say pick the size based on the size of yarn you typically work with.



Top to bottom:

Thread snips: These are some Clover Thread Clippers which I like because they are simple, and look nice. Any small embroidery needle is fine, but ideally find a set with a case - you don't want sharps poking around in your bag.

Business cards: Always keep a few on hand! I got mine from moo.com and I love them. Highly recommend.

Stitch markers: I keep two types, removable and non-removable. These fancy ones are from Fringe Supply Co. and I really like them (they are a great resource for bespoke tools). More often than not I just use paperclips or cheap plastic markers, but this is my posh travel kit, so I can show off. The leather case is nice to keep everything in order.

Needle gauge/ruler: Simple old gauge, but there are nicer options out there (I'd like a wooden model, personally). A longer soft measuring tape could be useful as well, but I haven't found it to be a necessity on the road.


So, what's in your bug out bag?

Oh, also, I'm baaaaaaack!